In a nutshell, my mother passed away and I took a break from writing. Our fun adventure turned into a race to get home. I’m doing better now and will complete our story. For those who come to this site to read about all the good times, you might want to wait for the next posts.

I do this site because I want to and it’s therapeutic. Who knows, someday when I’m wasting away in a nursing home, I can look back and re-live some of my adventures. I need to “feel it” to write it so sometimes I need to break. That said, here’s what happened:

While we were relaxing and lounging around on Conception Island, the Assisted Living facility my mother was living in called to let us know that her condition was quickly deteriorating both physically and mentally. Due to Illinois laws, Assisted Living facilities are limited in the level of care they can provide, and my mother was starting to exceed that level. Unfortunately, the facility that she’s lived in since 2020, does not offer Skilled Nursing and the only option we were aware of was moving her to a Nursing home. How as I going to do that from the Bahamas?

We ended up having several conference calls with the management and care team at her facility. My goodness, what a difference adding StarLink to the boat made. In years past, all we had was Iridium or local cellular service. We were on Conception Island and there were NO communication options. No cell service, no electricity, no stores, no people, no nothing! StarLink allowed us to have video conference calls, send documents back and forth, and do what was needed. Yeah, I might have gone snorkeling and paddle boarding between calls, but I was on top of things.

After working with the care team at the facility, we decided it was best to have my mother moved to the memory care unit at her facility. I also had her put into hospice, which gets around most of the limitations in the Illinois laws. We did have to move her, but it was just down the hall, not across town or state. Her friends were still there as was her care team that she knew and loved.

As good as StarLink was, it couldn’t teleport me there to give her a hug and explain what was happening and why in person. Fortunately, a close family friend was in town and was able to be my “person on the ground”. She went to the facility, helped us explain to my mother what was going on, and give the much needed hugs. I cannot thank her enough for being there and helping at such a crucial time.

At that time, Sue and I decided we needed to head home as quickly as possible. The season was over for us and it was time to get home. Yeah, the quick and easy answer is to pull into a marina and fly home. But, for how long, and I don’t fly, so this wasn’t really a good option for us?

Our plan was always to keep the boat at Safe Cove boat yard in Port Charlotte FL for the summer, so we let them know we’d be arriving early, and we made a bee line to Port Charlotte. Before we left, I needed to stop in Rock Sound in Eleuthera. That’s where we rode out the COVID dystopian nightmare in 2020. It feels like my second home and I didn’t want to leave the Bahamas without stopping by and seeing some of the locals who took care of us during those crazy times. It was on the way and only added a couple of days. Who knows, someday when I grow up, I just might move there. In a house, not a boat.

So we pushed for Port Charlotte as quickly as we could. Once there, we hauled the boat out, rented a car, and drove home, battling a snow storm all through Tennessee. I was was in shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops while I was pumping gas during the snow storm. We finally arrived the evening of Wednesday February 19th, spent the 20th with my mother, and on Friday the 21st she passed peacefully with Sue, my brother, and myself at her side.

Sorry, no pictures in this post. More to come.

Conception is an uninhabited island that is part of the National Land and Sea Park. There are no services, no rangers, no cell phones, nothing. When we arrived, there was only one other boat at the anchorage. It was a super yacht and as such, anchored in much deeper water far away from us. We practically had the place to ourselves. Eventually, other boats arrived but it was about the time we were leaving.

The island is surrounded by coral reefs for snorkeling, mangrove shallows in the island’s interior for paddle boarding, and lots of beautiful beaches to walk down. I’m not sure why it’s not more popular; maybe the lack of services and socializing. But it was a nice change of pace from Salt Pond and George Town.

After three days, we had our fill of snorkeling, paddle boarding, and walking and decided it was time to hit a grocery store for the much coveted avocado and fresh meat. We waited for a day where we’d be able to do a nice downwind sail to Cat Island and the New Bight Settlement.

The wind and waves were more than what was in the forecast, but we’re getting used to that. Sailing downwind, you never realize just how bad it is until you turn. If it’s blowing 25 knots and you’re sailing at 7 knots, the apparent wind is only 18. Once we got to Cat Island, we had to make that turn. All of a sudden, our apparent wind went from 18 to almost 30. And the waves that we were gently riding with changed as well. The last few miles were rough ones.

Sue and I had our fun in George Town and decided it was time to move on. We had a great wind forecast to move over to Salt Pond on Long Island. A strong blow out of the north was in the forecast for later in the week and Salt Pond provided excellent protection. Once the blow was over, we wanted to make it to Conception Island, which is also part of the Land and Sea Park. Excellent coral to snorkel, mangrove creeks to paddle board on, and zero light making night time star gazing amazing.

It was a comfortable sail over with lighter winds, no waves, and cruising around 5 knots. Along the way we made fresh water to fill out tank and also topped off the batteries between the generator and solar. It’s always nice to sit in absorption and float to fully top them off.

When we pulled into Salt Pond, I was shocked at how many boats were there. In 2019, there was only 2 other boats while we were in Salt Pond. I couldn’t even count the number of boats there now. It looked like a catamaran used boat lot. You expect the big crowds in George Town, but not a remote place like Salt Pond. While we were there, more boats came pilling in due to the blow in the forecast. More catamarans with generators, air conditioners, and barking dogs. All lit up like a Christmas tree at night.

The grocery store in Salt Pond is unique. It’s smallish but has a lot of high end American products. They actually had decent bagels, and Pretzilla pretzel buns that are Sue’s favorite. High end olive oils, sauces, etc.

During the blow, it was too rough for us to try and make it to shore and had to spend 2 days on the boat. When it finally let up and we could make it ashore, we took some nice long walks along the beautiful beach on the ocean side.

Once we had favorable winds, we left Salt Pond and sailed up the western shore of Long Island to it’s northern tip and anchored in Calabash Bay. This was just an overnight anchor as we were trying to make it to Conception Island. And it was a good thing we weren’t stuck there because it had lots of swell and we rolled all night long.

The next morning we set sail to Conception Island and we finally caught a good eating fish along the way — a manageable sized Mahi Mahi. I was able to dispatch the fish and get it cleaned while we were under sail. I didn’t want to clean the fish in the anchorage because it attracts sharks and that’s where we’ll be snorkeling. Best to do it at sea if possible.

More to come…

Our parts finally came in from the US and I knew we were going to be paying a premium, and we did. Maybe even more than a premium. Looking back, it would have been cheaper to sail to Florida, buy my stuff, sail back, and re-pay to check in again. It would have been cheaper to put Sue on a plane, fly back to Ft. Lauderdale, stay in a nice hotel, and then fly back to George Town the next day. I’d give you the numbers, but I’m too embarrassed.

For those planning on coming down to The Bahamas to cruise, I have a few recommendations: Bring plenty of spare parts. On the daily cruise net, there is an entire section dedicated to folks looking to trade for parts. The second option is to have a “parts mule” on standby. Many of the cruisers have children or grandchildren lined up, ready to hop on an airplane with needed boat parts, and fly down to the George Town or one of the other islands easily accessible from the US.

Funny story; on our previous trip to The Bahamas, we had a buddy who needed a heat exchange for their motor. They had their parts mule fly down with a replacement he’d purchased on eBay. The heat exchange is a cylinder roughly 18 inches long by 3 inches in diameter, with many smaller tubes running along the inside. The “mule” had no idea what it was nor did the customs agent. Security was called because it looked “suspicious”. After being taken to the back room for “extra” questioning, a supervisor was called that knew exactly what it was, and more importantly, what it wasn’t. So, make sure your “mule” has a little background on the parts they are carrying.

What’s important is I now have “the” pump. Not an emergency backup, but the real deal. Water maker is working great. As a matter of fact, I made a big batch yesterday on our sail to the marina.

While waiting for parts in George Town, we were able to complete much of the wood work refinishing. Scraped down to bare wood and then applied 3 coats of Cetol. Hopefully, this will last a long time. There are still some areas that need to be done but we finished most of the “needy” areas.

The weather has turned warm and humid. Humidity has been in the 90% range and with the evening cool downs, everything is wet. After a while, everything inside the boat starts to feel wet. The rugs, towels, even the bedding. If you don’t keep an eye on it, mold will start to grow as well. Our strategy is to get a slip in the marina, hook up to shore power and run our air conditioner to dry out the boat. While we’re on power, it also gives us an opportunity to run our second freezer so that we can defrost our main freezer. With the high humidity, freezers ice up quickly.

The marina we’re staying at also includes free laundry, which we’re taking full advantage of. A 2 night splurge at the marina and then it’s off to Long Island to ride out an up coming blow from the North.

More to come.

We are still anchored in George Town waiting for our parts to be delivered before we move on. Occasionally, you may see us move out to sea and then come back. We prefer to make water in the ocean not in the harbor and also prefer to empty our black water tank in the ocean, not the harbor.

While we wait, we’ve decided to try and catch up on some boat work. Island Packets have a lot of wood and it’s a constant battle trying to keep it looking nice. Many ultimately give up and just let it go. Maybe in the long run, I’ll replace it with Ipe wood and then oil it yearly. Until then, we’re constantly scraping, sanding, and re-applying Sikkens Cetol.

We did take a break today to go to shore and pump up the paddle board. Afterwards, Chat ‘N Chill had a lunch pig roast that we went to. Pretty good and not too crowded.

We anchored in the northern end of the harbor and like it up here. Not too crowded and not a lot of boat traffic. It is a long run down to the town dock, but that’s an OK trade off for us. Up North, we are close to the Napa and the butcher shop at least.

Earlier in the week, we made it out to climb to the Monument and see the ocean side beaches. The trails are marked, sort of. Other cruises left pieces of washed up trash to mark turns in the trail. Recycling the best you can. We’ve also been making runs into town to go shopping. The main grocery store is top notch by Bahamas standards. And, you have to hit it everyday if there is something in particular that you want. We’re still waiting on real half & half and higher quality eggs.

My package is scheduled to be flown over from Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday. Hopefully, the broker will get it through customs Thursday or Friday and we can push off. At this point, we think out next stop will be the community of Salt Pond on Long Island. From there, we’ll decide where we want to go next.

More to come.

I haven’t written in a while because we’ve been on the move trying to make our way to George Town in the Exumas. We did make a stop in Nassau to go pump shopping and try to get some laundry done. The backup pump I used to replace the broken pump for our water maker had 2 issues. The volume was not high enough (3 gallons per minute vs 4), and the duty cycle is intermittent use only, not continuous use. I did find a pump that did the 4 gallons but not the continuous use. I bought it and installed it and the water maker is running at full capacity again. But I still have the duty cycle issue hanging over my head. How is it going to fail and when.

In George Town, there are plenty of brokers who can get orders from the US through customs; for a fee. Plus, customs fees, and VAT. After posing the question on how to get boat parts shipped in on Cruiser Net, I contacted the Air Shipper and the customs broker I’ll be using. And, the order from Defender was placed.

For those not familiar with Cruiser Net, in larger anchorages it’s a daily show over the VHF radio and all are welcome to participate. They usually start at 8AM. A volunteer hosts the show and covers topics such as who’s arrived, who’s leaving, community events, buy, sell, trade, general questions, and a kids program.

Surprisingly, there are lots of kids here from all around the world. They’re all being home schooled and sometimes the parents like to do larger group classes. I also found out when the volleyball tournament is, there’s an upcoming regatta, and different exercise classes throughout the day.

We’ll be hanging out in George Town until the parts arrive or until we’re tired of the crowds. Most in George Town come to The Bahamas, go to George Town, and stay until the end of their trip. It’s very crowded around here. But, all the shops are well stocked and it’s easy here.

More to come…

We had a break in the weather and left Bimini to head over to Bullock Harbor in the Berry Islands. Unfortunately, this is a 14 hour trip, meaning we’d either have to leave in the dark or arrive in the dark. I really didn’t want to do an over night passage again. Given the start and endpoint I thought it best to leave in light and arrive in the dark. I’ve been to Bullock Harbor before, have bread crumb trails on the GPS, and it’s an open anchorage. We also had a buddy boat going with us just in case we ran into any issues.

The ride over was uneventful and we arrived at 8PM. Between the breadcrumb trail, AIS, and radar, we were able to get anchored in the dark. A good enough job that I didn’t have to move in the morning. Once we arrived, a strong blow came in from the east bringing clouds and rain. So much so that I had to run the generator and shut StarLink off at night to keep a charge on our batteries.

The rain was more of a light drizzle. More annoying than effective. We were hoping for a good down pour to wash the salt off the boat but it never came.

While in town, I was able to find a replacement pump for the water maker. I was happy because that meant when the weather broke, we could head towards Eleuthera instead of Nassau. Unfortunately, while I was plumbing the pump in, I over tightened it and broke one of the plastic/nylon fittings. I was only hand tightening it, no wrenches involved. I suspect it might have been on the shelf of a while and had deteriorated over time. Who knows.

Yes, I was upset, but got over it. So, off to Nassau we go. Reservations have been made at our marina of choice. Since Nassau has the best grocery store we’ve found in the Bahamas, we’re making a list of items to pick up.

Once the weather broke, we decided to divide the trip to Nassau into 2 days. While it was possible for us to do it in 1 day, we decided it best to make it 2, stopping at the south end of the Berry Island chain before we cross over.

While making our way to Nassau, we tried something new: salt water fishing. I brought 2 rods that I’d used for Salmon on Lake Michigan. I loaded it up with 50lbs line and ordered a bunch of salt water lures from Cabela’s specifically for Mahi Mahi. We also picked up a gaffe while we were in Key West to bring the fish in.

While we were in shallower water, less than 100 foot, we were doing great. Catching Mackerel and Blue runners. Nothing I really wanted to eat and kept hoping for a Mahi, Grouper, or Hog Fish. The rods and reels I had brought were working out great. The first day we must have caught 10 fish. We would have caught more, but on one of the lures, the hook broke. We kept getting hits and they kept getting off. I wasn’t until we put it away for the evening that we noticed the hook was missing.

The next day, we left the Berry’s for New Providence, crossing the deep ocean, about 10,000 feet of water. I suspected we’d run into larger fish and I was right. The first fish hit and started peeling out line. In less than a minute, I started running out of line on the reel and locked it down. The 50 pound line snapped at the knot. But I didn’t lose the line. About 10 minutes later, the exact same thing happened of the other reel.

I was chatting with my friend who comes down here every winter and he said he uses 150lbs line on the rod and reel and 300lbs line on the hand line. He sent a picture of his setup and I realized I’m under equipped — big time. The conclusion we came to is that we’re only going to fish in the shallower water and leave the lines in when we’re out in the Big Water.

We eventually made it to Nassau and we decided to anchor out before heading into the marina. I like to build in a extra day just in case something comes up. But I had forgotten how God awful it is anchoring around here. Constant wakes from tour boats, jet skiers using the boats in the anchorage as an obstacle course, and big sport fishing boats throwing Tsunamis’ for wakes.

We’ll hit the marina tomorrow and on Thursday we’ll start our shopping runs. Besides the water pump, it’s also time for another oil change for the big engine.

More to come.

We left Marathon for an overnight sail to Bimini. The conditions were not perfect and we were only able to sail about a quarter of it, but we knew that going in. Between the holidays and the upcoming forecast, we thought it best to leave when we did.

When we left Marathon, the navigation software plotted the shortest course, not the best course. And, best is subjective. Instead of staying on the course plotted close to shore, we decided to head out into the Gulf Stream and ride that up to Bimini. According to Windy, the current was running almost 2 knots and an extra 2 knots on a sailboat is huge.

The winds were east-northeast and we were starting to see some of the wind versus current waves. It was a bumpy ride that we could have avoided if we had stayed closer to shore and out of the Gulf Stream, but the extra push was too tempting.

Since this was a 24 hour trip, we decided to make fresh water to top off our tank. We’re pretty selective about where we make fresh water and try to avoid marinas, anchorages, and silty areas. The cleaner the water, the longer our pre-filters last. About 5 minutes into starting up the process, one of our pumps stopped pumping water. I had just changed the pre-filters while we were in Marathon and naturally assumed this issue was an air leak in the system. After about an hour of troubleshooting while Sue drove I determined the issue was with the low pressure pump.

It was decision time. Do we abort the crossing and head to Key Largo to troubleshoot, or do we press on knowing that I had a spare pump in inventory and could swap it out. When I say a spare pump, it’s not “THE” pump, but it’s “A” pump that will work, mostly.

I swapped out the pump and the water maker started working so we decided to press on. The issue with aborting the crossing was I had already completed all the boat paperwork with Bahamas customs online. If you miss your arrival date, you have to go through another process to re-schedule. Also, with the holidays and the weather forecast, I wasn’t sure when we’d finally make it across. I didn’t want to spend Christmas on anchor in Key Largo waiting for parts. Nor did I want to spend Christmas in Bimini, under quarantine and unable to go ashore while waiting for the Customs and Immigration offices to open. So, we pressed on.

The Florida Straits is a very busy waterway with commercial traffic and we were moving much slower than most, trying to cross it. Most busy routes have traffic separation zones but the straits do not. I suspect because of the width and depth, there really is no reason the keep ships separated, so for someone trying to cross, it was a free for all. It reminded me of Frogger, the old video game from the 80s where you’re a frog trying to cross a busy highway without getting run over. And, it was a night crossing.

We didn’t get run over and the closest we came was to a tug boat who was traveling an unusual route. It wasn’t crossing nor was it traveling like the rest of the traffic. AIS said it was heading to Puerto Rico. They actually altered course to avoid us. Not sure I’ve ever had commercial traffic do that before. That was the closest, but when you’re within 2 miles of the big mega cruise ships, it does feel like you’re about to get run over. And no, none of the cruise ships adjusted course to avoid us.

One of the issues that I’ve been troubleshooting since Peoria IL is EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) between the Garmin VHF Radio, Starlink, and now my handheld VHF radio. When using the Garmin remote handset in the cockpit to broadcast, and Starlink is on, my transmission is garbled. If I turn Starlink off, my transmission is fine. Use the handset inside the boat connected directly to the radio and the transmission is fine. It only occurs when using the remote handset with Starlink on.

To work around this I either use my hand held radio or turn off Starlink. The marina we’re staying at uses channel 68 for everything. I tried to hail them on 68 on the hand held but I was hearing nothing but crazy static. Mind you this is all happening while I’m hovering outside of the marina in a narrow channel. I had Sue turn off Starlink and I tried the big radio from the cockpit. Nothing. I had Sue turn Starlink back on so that we could call them on the phone… While all this was going on, I drifted out of the channel and ran aground. Doh! What I discovered is my EMI issue also includes the handheld on channel 68 while the Garmin radio is on. Starlink makes no difference.

I was able to unground myself using the bow thruster and horsepower. Now that I have my mandatory grounding out of the way, we can continue on.

It’s currently crab and lobster season in Florida and pots are out everywhere. These traps lay on the ocean bottom and have a trailer line attached with a floating buoy. Odyssey is a full keel boat with a skeg rudder and a bar running from the rudder to the keel to protect the prop so I never worried about catching a crab pot line . . . until now. About half way between Key West and Marathon we heard a bang and I started getting heavy vibration on the binnacle. I looked behind us and saw chewed up Styrofoam. That’s not good.

The vibration stopped after about 30 seconds and I assumed all was cleared. We continued on and once anchored in Marathon, I noticed a line trailing behind us. It was cold, only 75 degrees, but I dove down to get a better look. Sure enough, there was line wrapped around our prop shaft. I was able to get the line cut off and also noticed the prop shaft anode was missing. Fortunately, I had a spare zinc and was able to replace that as well.

It can be tricky replacing the zinc underwater. Trying not to drop any of the bolts, washers, nuts, allen key, and zinc halves while holding your breath. There was also a tidal current in the anchorage that kept pushing me from the boat. I eventually got the zinc on without loosing any parts.

I’m not sure if the line from the pot stripped the anode off or if it disintegrated that quickly. I still had the fresh water magnesium anode on, which was on my to-do list once we got to the Bahamas. Well, one less item to worry about.

We decided to take a marina in Marathon for 2 days. We found a smaller marina that had reasonable prices for the Keys area. It included electricity which allowed us to run our air conditioner. It’s not hot, but it is very humid. After a couple of weeks on the mooring ball and anchor, everything starts getting wet. Running the A/C dried the inside of the boat out. It also gave us an opportunity to defrost the freezer. Our freezer ices up quickly in the high humidity and needs to be defrosted more often.

While in Marathon, we were able to make our final provisioning runs. We’re ready to make the crossing to Bimini. It’s a waiting game watching the weather. To get to Bimini, we need to cross the Gulf Stream, which is a strong current that runs between Florida and Bimini. It flows from South to North and when the wind is from the North, large waves form due to the wind vs current effect. At this time, it looks like Sunday and Monday may be our best opportunity to cross.

More to come…

We spent an uncomfortable week in the Key West mooring field waiting for the weather to break. The winds were high and out of the northeast, the one direction the field doesn’t have protection from. White caps and rollers were whipped up from the constant blow. Some evenings reaching 30 knots. Trips to shore in the dinghy were wet and wild. Just trying to board the dinghy was a trick, but it’s all part of the fun.

All in all, it was a good stay. Grocery stores, West Marine, Napa, and fuel all within walking distance. I even found a barber shop to get a hair cut. But, it was time to move on. The more time we spent in the mooring field, the more depressing it got.

The cost of living in Key West is extreme. While doing laundry at the marina, I was able to talk to several locals who live on their boat in the mooring field. Interestingly, they’re not boaters. They chose living on a boat as an affordable alternative to a house, or living in their car or van. They were telling me that renting a room, not an apartment, but just a room in a house costs $1,700 a month. The mooring field is only $450 a month. You just need to provide the boat. The big controversy now is that the city wants to require proof of insurance to stay. Almost all the boats are uninsured. Most don’t even run or sail.

Living on a boat is not easy. Everyday items you take for granted are difficult on a boat. No electricity, unless you run a generator or have wind or solar. Refrigeration: it also needs power. Water: you have to carry all your water out to the boat. Sewage: The city run pump out boat is supposed to come out once a week to empty your hold tank. It’s all weather dependent. The heat and humidity is stifling, especially in the summer. No air conditioner unless you run a generator, and if you do, you need to truck all the fuel for the generator out to the boat.

Hey, wait a minute, I live on a boat… Don’t get me wrong, if you’re traveling and want to see remote places, it’s worth the hassle. But, to put up with all the boat B.S. and have to hustle 2 or 3 jobs to live in “paradise” well, it’s not for me.

The other annoying thing about Key West is they allow people to ride their mopeds (aka e-bikes) on the sidewalks. And there does not appear to be a speed limit. If you can’t do at least 30 MPH, it’s dangerous to try and walk on the side walks. I felt safer walking in the street than on the side walk. The dopes on their high speed mopeds were going faster than the cars on the street.

Enough ranting about Key West. We headed out to Marathon and have a marina reservation for 2 nights. I was also able to get Amazon packages shipped. In the Keys, Prime 2 day shipping is more like 2 week shipping. It’s actually worse than Mobile.

From Marathon, we’re going to watch the weather. We might head up to the Key Largo area or Miami to make our jump to Bimini. It all depends on the weather.

The weather forecast was predicting a large blow out of the North to arrive in Southern Florida Wednesday evening and last for several days. We decided to cut our stay in the Dry Tortugas National Park short and head back to take cover in Key West. When chatting with other sailors at the park, some decided to leave Tuesday and make it a 2 day trip. Others decided to leave Wednesday and race the storm in. Even though Tuesday was un-sailable due to winds on the nose, we decided to leave then and motor. I didn’t want to take a chance of arriving in the dark, during a storm, trying to catch a mooring ball. We also wanted to hit Publix to re-stock before the blow hit.

Before we left, we did talk our neighbors into going to Loggerhead Key for snorkeling and exploring. It was an almost 2 hour dingy ride and we decided to go with another couple just in case of a break down or other issue. I guess I am getting more cautious in my old age.

I didn’t bring my wet suit because it was hot and I didn’t want to mess with the fresh water cleanup afterwards. I should have brought it. The snorkeling was great. I’ve never seen so many lobsters before. It was reef after reef of amazing sea life. Unless you have a boat, I’m not sure how you’d be able to get there to snorkel.

We left for Key West at sun up on Tuesday morning. As predicted, we motored into a head wind and waves 3/4 of the way to Key West. We found a nice key to anchor at before night fall which put Key West in easy striking distance in the morning.

Marinas are outrageously expensive in Key West so we decided to stay in the town operated mooring field. $24.50 a day gets us a secure mooring ball, access to the dingy dock, laundry facility, pump out boat, showers, bathrooms, and garbage service. Normally, I’d anchor but the holding in Key West area is suspect, enough so that some refer to it as the bowling alley. If you anchor, you still have to pay $15 a day to use the dingy dock and services.

We got tied up to a ball before noon and were able to make a run to Publix to resupply. Our friends on a fast catamaran left Wednesday morning and arrived in the field at sunset. They were able to sail the entire trip, but the blow hit just as they finished tying up.

It’s way too rough in the mooring field to take the dingy to shore today. We’re riding it out on the boat waiting for the winds to die down. Looking at the forecast, we may be here for a while…

Wednesday morning I heard from our insurance company and we’re approved for The Bahamas. As soon as the winds die down our next stop will be Marathon and then Miami. In Miami we’ll stock up one last time and then make the crossing to Alice Town Bimini.

Sue and I wrapped up everything we needed to do in the Florida panhandle and decided it was time to head south. The evenings were getting cold and I was tired of slipping on ice/frost in the morning on the boat and docks. We do keep up with the Looper community and they were having issues with marinas along the Western Florida cost. The hurricanes this year and last damaged many of marinas and few have slips available to rent out to transients. Fuel stops were also an issue. Because of all the cold and the marina issues, we decided to make a long passage from Panama City to the Dry Tortugas National Park.

For those not familiar, Key West is not the end of the Florida Keys, it’s only the end of the road. The Keys continue on. Loggerhead Key, which is the western most part of the National Park is actually the end of the keys. The only way to get to the park is by boat or seaplane.

Depending on the winds, it could take anywhere from 2 to 3 days. I use an app that calculates my passage time based on my boat and the predicted winds. It also gives sea states as well as the amount of time I’d need to motor. Leaving Wednesday morning showed that we’d be in less than 1 meter of waves the entire trip, but it was going to take 2.5 days. Leaving later allowed us to shorten the trip and motor less, but we’d be facing larger waves and higher winds most of the trip. Since this was going to be our first big sail in a while, we opted for the easier conditions. But there is a catch, there always is… 2.5 days implies arriving in the evening in dark. Can’t do that since there is shoaling, coral, and other dangers in the park. So we sailed slower and tried to draw it out to a 3 day sail knowing that we were going to get hit with the higher winds and waves at the end. And we did. No surprise, when the front came through early Friday evening. The wind picked up to over 25 knots and the waves built to 6-8 foot.

Of course, the boat started picking up too much speed. I brought both of my head sails in and put 2 reefs into the main trying to slow down. I eventually got the right speed to time our arrival at an hour after sunrise. Another down side to this approach is the sails help buffer the effects of the waves and smooths the ride out. With most of my sails down, we didn’t have that luxury and it was a rough ride and a long night. We were both happy to see the Loggerhead Key lighthouse and Ft Jefferson in the morning. Surprisingly, the park was pretty empty. Only one other boat. I’m not sure if the weather cleared them out or if its that time of year, but I’ll take it.

Our plan is to spend a few days here at the National Park and then start heading to Key West on Tuesday before another front brings even heavier winds. Hopefully Key West will be just as empty and we’ll get a mooring ball in the city mooring field. Marina prices in the Keys are outrageous and the anchoring is bad. We’ll see….

After making many calls and talking to different agents, surveyors, and anyone else in the marine industry that could shed some light on us getting coverage to travel to the Bahamas, I think I may have figured out what’s going on and what I need to do to get coverage.

What’s changed since 2019, the last time we effortlessly went to the Bahamas? The biggest is Odyssey celebrated her 20th birthday. From what I’ve discovered, once a boat reaches 20 years old, the insurance industry puts it under extra scrutiny, which is why the insurance company is requesting a current marine survey and valuation report. Since my standing rigging is over 5 years old, they’re also requesting a rigging survey.

The only item that the insurance company has changed since 2019 is they no longer offer the Bahamas coverage for boats from non Atlantic states and their 120 day limit.

At this time, we’ve moved our boat’s storage location from Illinois to Florida, which almost doubled out premiums. We had a rigging survey done when we stepped the mast in Pensacola. Yesterday, we had a marine surveyor come out and perform an in-water boat survey. The surveyor said he would have the final report written up and email to us by Friday. He felt Odyssey was in great shape and does not see why it wouldn’t get coverage.

Much like the rest of the country, it’s COLD here. We’ve been waking up to temps in the low 30s in the morning. Not fun when you’re on anchor and don’t have heat. Yeah, were sitting in warm water, and the inside of the boat never gets below 50, but it’s still COLD.

We are currently anchored outside of the Panama City cut. We have a weather window to sail down to the Dry Tortuga’s Wednesday morning. The computer says it’s going to be a 2.7 day trip and 100% of the time the waves will be less than 1 meter.

If all works out, we’ll be in the Tortuga’s when the survey comes in. I’ll send that to the insurance company and if we’re approved, we’ll start making way to Key West to do one last provision and then head off to Bimini. Did I mention how nice StarLink is. High speed internet anywhere. What a game changer.

The riggers were able to step our mast on Friday. There were a few moments of tension as the crane wouldn’t start. Once it did, there were other problems with it. They eventually got everything work, I pulled Odyssey into the haul out slip and our mast was mounted.

What took the most amount of time was tuning the rig. A turn here and a turn there on the turnbuckles. Someone always looking up to see if the mast is straight. And, using the halyard to check lengths. They were nice enough to put up with me while they worked and explained what they were doing and why along the way. A real educational experience for me.

Once the mast and boom were done, I took over. They offered to put the sail-pack, sails, and whisker pole on. I declined their help because I need to stay in practice. They were kind enough to hang around the yard just in case I got into trouble. And I did. I dropped a shackle in the water. Oops.

Now for the mistake. Sue and I have been staying at anchor and boat yards most of the trip. We thought it was time to splurge and spend a week at a nice posh marina. Again, bulldog Sue was on the case and found us a nice marina at a good price in the Destin FL area. A simple 1 day trip from Pensacola. We booked it and started flooding their office with Amazon deliveries.

While the mast was being put up, I happened to mention where our next stop was. They looked at me inquisitively and said I can’t make it. Huh? They pointed out there’s a bridge between Pensacola and Destin that I can’t clear and I can’t go out in the ocean because the Destin Cut has a 40 foot bridge. I was under the impression that all bridges on the ICW are 65 foot OR a lift bridge, except the famous one in Ft Lauderdale. They reminded me that the ICW is divided in sections. That’s the A-ICW (Atlantic Inter Coastal Waterway). We’re on the G-ICW (Gulf Inter Coastal Waterway) where there are several bridges under 65 foot. Uh oh…

The only way around this was to sail from Pensacola to Panama City and then back track up the GICW to Destin. And, that’s exactly what we did. Our 40 mile leisurely trip turned into an overnight passage on the Gulf and all day backtracking 160 mile trip. I also didn’t want to make my shake down sail an overnight sail in the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s been 2 months of living the trawler life and not worrying about air draft. This was an important reminder. It won’t happen again.

More to come…

While we were waiting to get our mast stepped I figured it would be a good time to take care of some administrative tasks for the boat. Namely, getting the Bahamas rider added to my policy. I have the same insurance company and policy that I had in 2019 — the last time I went to the Bahamas. Then, it was simple. I called and told them I wanted to update my policy. I had them add the Bahamas rider and the additional cost was offset by removing the freeze/ice damage rider.

This time I called and they wanted to know my travel dates. Being a curious person, I asked why that matters. Well, it does to the underwriters and their rider now has a 120 day per policy year limit. Not good, but I can work with that. But it gets worse. They told me that my boat’s location is in Illinois. I explained that I’m from Illinois and normally keep my boat in Illinois, but I’m currently doing the Loop and would like to visit the Bahamas. I found out that boats located in Illinois are not eligible for the Bahamas rider. Uh oh. That’s not good.

To change my location, I need to provide a contract or agreement from a marina or storage yard as proof that my boat has moved. Not a big deal as Sue and I were planning on hauling Odyssey out for the Summer in FL or GA and return to Chicago. It forces us to look for a yard sooner than we had planned but probably a good thing.

Not to bore you with details, but when picking a storage yard, I had several criteria that are proving hard to find. I’m very concerned about mold growth leaving Odyssey for the summer in the South. It gets hot and humid. I want a yard with electricity so I can run dehumidifiers and fans while I’m gone. I’m also looking for a yard that is close. I don’t want to have to go to Virginia just to haul out. And, I want to make sure the yard offers wellness checks. Just in case the power cord gets pulled, etc.

Sue was burning up the internet looking for a boat yard that meets all our criteria. We were looking on the east coast of FL and GA but she was thinking outside the box and found a perfect yard near Punta Gorda on the west side of FL. I talked to some of the guys at the rigging shop and they highly recommend the yard that Sue found. Called the insurance back and got the new rate. Since my location has changed, my rate will more than double.

Fed up, I finally called a marine insurance broker to shop around for me. He found a policy that was higher than my current but reasonable. It included a Bahamas rider. But after reading the fine print, I discovered I could only stay in the Bahamas for 30 days, and then I’d have to return to the US for 2 days, then go back to the Bahamas for another 30 days. Rinse and repeat. That’s even worse. It’s $300 each time you clear into the Bahamas. So, that policy is out.

The broker found another policy, with unlimited stay in the Bahamas and priced it with me hauling out in North Carolina. Problem is it’s more than 4 times what my current policy is. And that’s storing the boat pretty far inland in North Carolina during hurricane season. Getting there in the spring isn’t bad. Heading south in the fall from there is not pleasant. The North Atlantic is not friendly that time of year and we’d rather not have to stay that far north.

Now, I’m back with my current insurance company. Doubling my rate is certainly better than quadrupling. We can make the 120 day limit work. Then I hit the next hurdle. The current insurance company requires a current haul-out inspection as well as a rigging inspection.

Since I’m at the rigging shop, it’s easy for me to get the rig inspection. Will it pass muster with the underwriters? I don’t know. They asked how old my rigging is and I don’t know. I never replaced it. In salt water, rigging is generally replaced every 7 to 10 years. In fresh water, I only hear of rigging being replaced when there’s an accident or lightening strike. As they were doing the inspection, there really wasn’t any corrosion, but they kept stressing it’s passed the “service life”. And I kept reminding them it’s past the saltwater service life. What is the service life of rigging in fresh water?

I was hoping to arrange a short haul and have a surveyor come down while I’m at the boat yard, but not surprisingly, the yard and surveyors need more than 4 hours of notice. I do have names of surveyors in the Destin area, our next stop, and hope we can get this taken care of.

I’m happy with the riggers here in Pensacola and if I have to replace my standing rigging, this is where I’d come. So, I’d like to have all this worked out before we leave the Destin area.

This is incredibly frustrating. When I talked to some of my friends who do this regularly I find out they go uninsured. I might get talked into going without comprehensive coverage, but there is NO way I’ll go without liability insurance.

I still don’t have this worked out and to be honest, wintering in the Bahamas is quickly losing it’s appeal. So much has changed since our last visit. Had I know all this, I might have stayed on the Great Lakes and enjoyed my time there. Who knows, maybe my next call will be to a boat broker. I don’t think I’ll bring Odyssey back to the Great Lakes, she’s more in her element here.

When I talk to folks about boating they’re always amazed at how “unregulated” it is. No license needed, you can just go out and buy a boat. No need to grovel to uncle for special permission to drive your boat. I always remind them that’s not true. It is heavily regulated. Not by government, but by insurance companies. At least with government officials, you can vote them out or make campaign contributions. Short of becoming a majority stock holder, there’s not much you can do with insurance companies.

My last rant about insurance: Technically, I’m covered if I decided to sail the Northwest Passage, probably the hardest continual sailing route in the world, but I can’t go to the Bahamas. That does sound like government.

More to come…